Barcelona head coach Xavi has admitted that his team will suffer due to the "significant loss" of Gavi.
The 19-year-old suffered a serious knee injury during Spain's Euro 2024 qualification match with Georgia last weekend, with the damage occurring when he twisted in an attempt to control the ball.
Subsequent tests revealed that Gavi had completely torn his ACL, in addition to suffering an injury to his lateral meniscus, meaning that surgery and a long period of recovery is needed to cure the issue.
Spain boss Luis de la Fuente has faced criticism for his use of Gavi in the fixture, as La Roja had already qualified for next summer's European Championship, although their position as group winners and a top seed for the tournament in Germany had not been secured.
Xavi has insisted that he does not blame the Spain manager for the issue, but the Barcelona head coach could not hide his disappointment regarding the lengthy absence when questioned on Friday afternoon.
"It is a significant loss, a disgrace, he is an irreplaceable player because of the passion, desire, and courage he puts in. He is a player who contributes a lot to us and tomorrow is a game where we would precisely need Gavi," Xavi told reporters ahead of Saturday's clash with Rayo Vallecano.
"I have spoken with him, I had the personal experience (a serious knee injury) that made me a better footballer, more mature. I was aware that I had to take care of myself a little more, do prevention when necessary, and take care of the details.
"From there I became more professional. Don't skip any recovery days, recover as best as possible. It's very important to recover well.
"Vallecas is always a very complicated field and in recent times, we have not been able to win. We recover players and with the mentality and desire to see if we finally beat Rayo.
"I have a very good relationship with De la Fuente. He called me on Monday or Tuesday and we talked, I have a very good relationship with him.
"I don't see that it is a problem of the manager but also calendar management. At his age, Gavi has played many matches and the calendar is full of games and that has been the reason for the injury in addition to bad luck. No problem with De la Fuente, it is a problem with the calendar and too many games.
"We always send a report on how they are, how they have trained, the number of minutes, we are always in contact with all the federations, not just the Spanish one, we always send the report so they can see how they are, everyone. From then on everyone has their interest.
"We will notice Gavi's loss due to his intensity and his winning character. In my career, I have seen very few, almost none, with the emotional level that Gavi has."
Barcelona will also be missing Marc-Andre ter Stegen against Rayo due to a back problem, while Sergi Roberto is not yet ready to return from a calf issue, but Frenkie de Jong is back in the squad this weekend after recovering from an ankle problem. body check tags ::
